On Friday, May 31, from 0800-1200 hours, Lincoln Fire & Rescue participated in a Chemical Weapons Full Scale Exercise (CWFSE) as part of our Domestic Terrorism Preparedness Plan for Lincoln & Lancaster County. The exercise was conducted to meet Department of Justice requirements to receive federal funding for domestic terrorism response. The exercise was held in a vacant warehouse in the Lincoln Air Park area. The exercise included the participation of approximately 85 "victims" (mostly Bryan School of Nursing medical students) who portrayed citizens who had become contaminated during a mock explosion involving a chemical agent. Emergency response agencies included Lincoln Fire & Rescue, Lancaster County Emergency Management, Lincoln Police Department, Ham Radio Operators, Lincoln 911 Dispatch Center, Bureau of Fire Prevention, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Lincoln Airport Authority, Lincoln/Lancaster Health Department, Nebraska State Patrol, American Red Cross, Salvation Army, Bryan LGH and St Elizabeth hospitals, Lincoln Public Works, Civil Air Patrol, University of NE Health Department, and Greenwood Rescue.

The exercise included the evaluation of recovery and decontamination of victims, haz mat entry to determine the product involved, disarming of secondary devices by the bomb squad, and hospital readiness for mass casualty events.